The assailants took away Rs 81.46 lakh in demonetised Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 denomination currency, which has been announced as illegal tender by the government.

The assailants took away Rs 81.46 lakh in demonetised Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 denomination currency, which has been announced as illegal tender by the government.(Vipin Kumar/HT File Photo)

Unidentified burglars looted Rs 81.46 lakh in old currency on the intervening night of Saturday and Sunday from a branch of Punjab National Bank located in Khera Alampur village in Rewari that stood without a night guard.

The police said the burglars broke a window to enter the bank, and used a cutter to cut the safe where the money was kept.

The assailants took away Rs 81.46 lakh in demonetised Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 denomination currency, which has been announced as illegal tender by the government, and also got hold of Rs 1 lakh in 100 and 10-rupee notes. The amount was deposited in the bank by people after the government’s demonetisation move.

People living close by in the fields noticed the broken window on Sunday morning and informed the police, who reached the spot to conduct the investigation. Kosli DSP Anil Kumar said the burglars damaged the CCTV system so it could not ascertain the number of people who committed the crime.

“The branch is situated in a secluded area. They didn’t have a night guard. The burglars would have thought of targeting the new currency, but the bank hadn’t received it yet. The branch had only a couple of new Rs 2,000 notes, which were in the lower section of the safe and probably remained unseen,” DSP Kumar said.

According to sources in the bank, the said branch was robbed earlier, too, on October 7, 2015 and was under scanner to be shifted from the isolated area. The police said they were considering the angle of security lapse from the bank’s side. “We have registered a case of theft and collected finger print samples. The accused will be arrested soon,” DSP Kumar said.